INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

This is where you will find the latest news and multimedia from INTERPOL. Read our news stories and speeches; see the Organization in action through videos and photo galleries; and download our fact sheets, brochures and annual reports.

Our global police communications channels and internationally recognized alert systems allow police around the world to share data instantly and securely. A 24-hour contact point and specialized teams provide targeted support to serious crime or disaster incidents.

Europe

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom (UK), which is made up of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, does not have a national police force. Instead, there are 44 geographic forces in England and Wales, and a single force in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.

Each force is led by a Chief Constable who is accountable to law, to the Home Secretary and to local democratic oversight. Democratic oversight is provided by elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in most areas and by the Mayor’s Office in London.

Specialist police forces that work alongside the geographic forces include the British Transport Police, the Ministry of Defence Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

INTERPOL Manchester

The INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) for the UK is part of the National Crime Agency (NCA), a powerful new body of operational crime fighters with the responsibility of leading the UK’s fight to cut serious and organized crime. The NCA addresses national threats and incorporates the functions of numerous former UK organizations, agencies and units in order to:

Tackle serious and organized crime;

Strengthen UK borders;

Fight fraud and cybercrime;

Protect children and young people.

The NCA also provides a range of support services to police forces and law enforcement agencies across the country, including the services provided by INTERPOL Manchester.

Mission

INTERPOL Manchester shares the INTERPOL vision and mission. It fights international crime through the coordination and provision of specialist support to investigations and uses INTERPOL channels to build effective partnerships between the UK police forces and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Structure and functions

INTERPOL Manchester is the point of contact for UK investigations with an international link. It provides UK agencies with a communications network linking them with law enforcement officials in all INTERPOL member countries worldwide. It also provides secure and direct access to INTERPOL’s databases and police services. In addition, INTERPOL Manchester provides INTERPOL services to officers based on the Channel Islands.

INTERPOL Manchester staff deal with crime-related enquiries, translations and the coordination of international police action to locate UK fugitives abroad or fugitives thought to have fled to the UK from elsewhere. INTERPOL Manchester does not deal with members of the public directly. All enquiries must be submitted by local police forces or a law enforcement agency.

INTERPOL Manchester is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Urgent requests received outside of normal office hours are dealt with by a 24/7 Support Bureau. All other matters are processed by three specialist teams of investigators:

Front Desk;

Case Progression;

Fugitives Unit.

Within the bureau there is also an INTERPOL secretariat function which works to improve connectivity between specialist UK law enforcement teams and INTERPOL services and data.

UK Sub-Bureaus

The UK has 14 Overseas Territories it has the duty to keep secure and under good governance. INTERPOL Manchester has an important role to play in helping the UK Government protect its Territories from the threats of international terrorism and organized crime. There are seven INTERPOL Sub Bureaus annexed to NCB Manchester, each with delegated regional authority:

INTERPOL Manchester Sub-Bureaus are an essential link between UK Territory police forces and INTERPOL’s international law enforcement community. Each Sub-Bureau is part of the Overseas Territory’s national police force and serves as the contact point for all INTERPOL investigations relating to that country or requiring international law enforcement outreach from that country.

The Sub-Bureaus are the designated point of contact for the INTERPOL General Secretariat, Regional Bureaus and INTERPOL member countries requiring assistance from British Overseas Territory police forces for investigations and the location and apprehension of fugitives.

UNITED KINGDOM – An INTERPOL-supported operation in the UK targeting vehicle crime has highlighted the issue of transnational criminal networks trafficking stolen vehicles out of the country.The two-day (28 and 29 April) Operation Britcar was led by the UK National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) and supported by the INTERPOL Stolen Motor Vehi...

LONDON, UK – INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock has told the #WeProtect Global Summit on Child Sexual Exploitation that for international efforts to combat online child abuse to remain successful, greater information sharing is essential.In his keynote address at the meeting in London attended by representatives from more than 50 countries, 23 leadin...

LYON, France – At the request of UK authorities INTERPOL has issued a Yellow Notice, or missing persons alert, for a five-year-old British boy removed from a hospital by his parents.Ashya King who has a brain tumour, was taken from Southampton General Hospital at around 2pm on Thursday 28 August by his parents, 51-year-old Brett King and 45-year-old Naghe...

MANILA, Philippines - An INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting organized crime networks behind ‘sextortion’ cases around the world has resulted in the arrest of 58 individuals, including three men linked to the group which harassed Scottish teenager Daniel Perry.
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Perry, a 17-year-old victim of an online blackmail attempt, died after jumping off...

LYON, France – INTERPOL has hosted officials from UK environmental agencies to promote further collaboration with the world police body and to review the global tools and services INTERPOL provides to its 190 member countries.Representing the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Border Policing Command, National Wildli...

LYON, France – A man wanted in connection with the murder of a British woman in May 2010 has been arrested in Spain following an international investigation involving Spanish, UK and French police and INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support unit at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon.David Baxendale was taken into custody in Fuengirola on the C...

LYON, France - An international operation co-ordinated by INTERPOL targeting the illegal trade in traditional medicines containing protected wildlife products has resulted in a series of arrests worldwide and the seizure of thousands of illegal medicines worth more than EUR 10 million.National wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and speciali...

An international week of action targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines has resulted in a series of arrests and the seizure of thousands of potentially harmful medical products.In response to an ever-increasing number of websites supplying dangerous and illegal medicines, Operation Pangea II involving 24 countries was co-ordinated b...

The first international Internet day of action co-ordinated by the Permanent Forum on International Pharmaceutical Crime, INTERPOL and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT), targeting the illegal online sale of medicines to the public has resulted in a series of arrests and the seizure...

LYON, France - The successful extradition to Italy from Britain of three Tunisian terror suspects who were the subject of European Arrest Warrants and INTERPOL global alerts has highlighted the need for countries to use regional and international policing tools to prevent wanted fugitives from evading arrest.Habib Ignaoua, Mohamed Khemiri and Ali Chehidi,...

In a joint operation involving various agencies, British police arrested four men and recovered the Leonardo da Vinci painting entitled 'Madonna and the Yarnwinder' following a raid in Glasgow on 4 October. The painting had been stolen from Drumlanrig Castle, near Thornhill, in Scotland on 27 August 2003. The theft of the masterpiece generated a worldwid...